Suction sweeper



J. B. KYRBY.

SUCTION SWEEFER. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 7,191s.

. A Patented J uly 4, 1922' 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. B. KIRBY.

SUCTION SWEEPER. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7. I918- 1321,95? V Pafentedluly 4,1922v 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. r "Pj m MLM/E J. B. KIRBY.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED 0cr.7,19:s.

1 A2 1 ,95 Patented. July 4, 19.22,

6% 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- preferably comprising suction devices also,

I can- D STATES FPATE-NTIOF-FICE'QV' JAMES B.'KIRBY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

socnon swnnrnn To all whom. it may concern Be it known tliat.I,.JAi\iF.s B. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of .Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Suction Sweep-- ers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to floor cleaning devices and has particular reference to a traction-operated carpet-sweeping device,

and comprehends improvements both in carpet sweepers and in suction cleaners. Among the objects of the invention arefthe provision of a device of this character having new and improved expedientsfor taking up and disposing of litter and refuse; the provision of new and improved means for operating a suction cleaner from the wheels upon which the same is supported; the provision of new and improved expedients for driving, supporting, adjusting, and operating a floor cleaning brush; the provision of new and improved e'xpedients for operating both a fan and a brush. from the wheels of a traction cleaner; while other and further objects of theinvention will become appar ent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, I have shown one' embodiment of my said invention although it will be understood that the same are illustrative only and are not intended to limit me to the particular features of construction and arrangement therein shown. In these drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a completecleaner embodying my improvements, a portion of the collecting .nozzle and brush :being broken away; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the sweeper shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the position assumed by. the same when raised from the floor;

I illustrating the automatic brush adjustment;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view corresponding to the line 7--7 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 8 is a detail view corresponding to the line 88 of I Fig. 4..-

r Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 4, I922. Application filed October 7, 1918. Serial No. 257,108.. i

The cleaner as a whole comprises a cas-' ing, a handle, and a bag, wh1le the casing in its preferred form comprises essentially" a fan chamber and a nozzle. This fan chamber preferably has a U-shaped side wall com-' prising a pair of straight portions l-1 connected together bya curved portion 2, the

margins of said side wall being connected by flat walls 3 and 4 respectively. This forms a pocket-shaped chamber having its square end open as shown in Figs. 4.- and 5, in addi 'tion to which the sides 3 and 4 are formed from said opening-to its forward extremity, where itprojects beyond the limits of said fan chamber andis formed with a down wardly. facing inlet mouth defined by the parallel horizontal lips 7 and. 8. From the lip 7 the bottomwall of the nozzle first extends rearwardly for a short distance .as shown at 9 at a comparatively small inclination to the horizontal, and thence extends more abruptly upwardly. as shown at 10 until it reaches the top wallof the fan chamber. The forward extremity of the bottom wall 9 is .formed with anupwardly projecting ledge and in the present embodiment I have shown the wal'l'9 as interrupted at its central point by a kind of notchformed for the accommodation of the supporting roller 12. This notch is here produced by extending from the lip 7a flat narrow wall 13 to the lowest portion of the chamber wall 3, and forming '11 which lies immediately above'the lip 7, I

on each side of the wall 13 a depending check 14 which joins the bottom wall 9 and inclined wall 10. Against the. lower surface of the wall 13 I clamp by a suitable ,set screw 15 a bracket 16 to which the roller 12 is .at-

tached, and adjustment of the bracket may if desired be provided for by forming the Wa1l1-3 with a slot 17. The portion 9 of the bottom wall constitutesin effect, a dust pan as will be shown later.

From the lip 8 there-rises a cylindrical shown this to wall 20 defining a brush-chamberand merg ing with the top wall 21 of the nozzle which covers and embraces the opening '5. I have 1 motor casing having a circular flat portion 24 which closes the aperture 6 and also having aligned horizontal arms 25,- 2.6 which constitute bearings for the carrying shaft 27 which traverses the same from end' to end in a direction parallel to the lips 7 and 8. Rig-idly secured to-the outer ends of this shaft are'the carrying wheels 28, 28, which,

' fore described, these wheels being prefer-- rotatable fan 32; This fan and shaft are in conjunction with the roller 12, support the casingin the inclined position heretoably' rubber-tired for traction purposes as well as to prevent the marring of hardwood floors. Journaled in said fitting perpendicularly of the plate is a fan shaft to the upper end of which is secured by suitable means, such as the set screw 31, the

assembled by inserting the fan into the chamber through the open end of the same andafterwards insertin the. shaft into the he shaft; 30 coin-' fan from the bottom.

cides with the axis of the fan chamber,

which axis is indicated by the line (IF-a in Figs-5 and 7 and is downwardly and rearwardly inclined. The lower end of the shaft 30 adjacent the shaft 27 is provided with a spiral gear 33, the motor being located below and rearwardly of said fan.

While I' do not restrict myself to this type of construction of motor, .the driving meanshere illustrated is constructed and operated as follows: between the arms 25 I and 26 the fitting is hollowed out to form the chamber 35, and adjacent to oneend of the chamber there is rigidly secured to the shaft the inner member 36 0f a ball clutch. .Jonrnaled uponf'said shaft at one side of the member'36 is a c 'lin'drical sleeve 37 having at one end the orwardly projecting teeth 38 and having at the other end the circular plate 39 whose periphery is formed with the ratchetteeth 40.- Adjacent to its periphery this plate is formedwith a laterally projecting flange 41 which overhangs the clutch' member 36 and cooperates therewith through the medium of the clutch balls 42.

' Located'inside the cavity v35 is a pawl'43 which cooperates withthe ratchet teeth 40;.

and journaled upon the exterior of the sleeve 37 is a helical gear 44 which meshes with 'the gear 33 carried by the shaft 30. Surrounding the shaft 27 beyond the sleeve 37 is a second sleeve 45 having its 0 posite ends 7 provided with flanges 46 and 4 as shown, the end having the flange 46 also being notched for the -reception of *the driving wall as provided above the tooth 38. The length of the sleeve 45 is machine is run forwardly the ratchet will turn; and the direction of twist of spring 49 is such that when'the'machine is run forwardly the spring will be'wound up. However after this spring has once been wound it can release its energy only by driving the fan 32, since the pawl 43 prevents unwinding of the same; while over-strain of the spring due to too tight winding is prevented since after a given number of turns this spring willbe gripped tightly around the 1 exterlor of" the sleeve 45 after which 'the device .will operate as though the car 44 were secured directly. to shaft 2v The parts numbered 36 to 49 constitute a form of spring motor adapted to be wound up by the forward 'movements'of the casing.

Rigidly secured tothefan and rotatable therewith is a pulley 55 which projects through theaperture 5 into the nozzle; and

journaled inside the suction mouth, beneath the'wall20, is a brush 56 provided midway .ofjits length with a'pulley' 57 connected to the pulley 55 by the belt 58 which is preferably of some elastic material like rubber. This brush is supported by having'its ends pivoted to links 59- -59 WhlCh are themselves loosely pivoted at 6060 to the end walls 61 of the inlet mouth; These pivots 60-60 are located upon the opposite side of the brush from the pulley 55, theresult being that when the fan and brush are at rest the tension upon the two-sides of the belt is equal, so that the center of the brush then lies upon the straight line connecting the pivots 60 with the groove of the pulley 55' as shown at w-a in Fig. 5; which also is the condition when the brush is rotated with little-or no obstruction as is the case when the cleaner is employed upon a naked floor or upon a short-nap rug. However this'belt is applied to the pulleys 55 and 57 in such wisethat its power run is lowermost wherefore upon any obstruction to the rotation of the brush as would be produced by a heavy-nap carpet,

'upper part with the result that the links 59-59 are elevated above the line a-a as.

shown in Fig. '6, and the opposition to-the brush rotation is decreased while still m a in-.

taining the required sweeping action.

This automatic regulatlonof the brushheight isimportant, not only because of the fact that it prevents the brush from digging into the carpet, but is particularly useful in a hand-operated or traction cleaner since the power available for brush-operation is much smaller than in other types. The removable cover 23 is provided for the purpose of enabling this belt to be applied to and detached from the pulley 55; and it is essential that the belt be applied in the direction stated both for! the sake of the automatic brush-adjustment thereby secured and also to insure that heavy articles displaced by the brush will be thrown upon the inclined ledge or dust pan 9. The lip 8 is also preferably elevated a material distance above the lip 7 for the double purpose of providing a rush of air across the top of the; carpet which shall assist in the elevation of the refuse onto this dust pan and alsoto prevent any sealing contact whichwould out down the volume of air flow and thus decrease the efficiency of the cleaner.

' also shown the casing as formed with a notch a projection of the yoke 56.

-I have shown the links 59 as provided with extensions 61 arranged to contact the inner surface of the nozzle at a given point and thus prevent the displacement of the brush to such a point as to bring itsbristles into contact with the cleaner wall; and I' have 62 for the belt 58, which notch may be so located as to receive the belt freely only when the same is'applied to the brush in the proper direction, thus insuring that the same will not inadvertently be applied in the wrong position.

The device is operated by means of a handle 65 provided with a fork 66 whosearms depend oneon each side of the cleaner and are pivoted to suitable brackets 67 one of which at least is pr ovided with a down- 'turned arm 68 receiving a tension spring 69 the opposite end of which is attached to Tightly secured to the open end of the fan chamber is the" mouth of a porous bag 7 0 whose opposite end is attached to the handle by a suitable hook 71 and said bag is preferably made considerably loose as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The mouth of this bagis shown as provided with a stiffening frame 7 2 adapted to surround rather closel the part of the casing to which it is applied and the casing wall is provided with spring catches 7 3 having engaging parts 74 protruding through slots or apertures 75 so} as to engage this frame and hold it securely while being easily disengaged. by pressing, the catches inwardly. 1

The operation and advantages of the de-- vice are as follows: Upon starting the cleaner from rest the inertia of the fan 32 (which intentionally is made rather heavy so as to present considerable fly-wheel action) causes the same to lag considerably behind the wheels 28, yet the spring 49 permits the cleaner to be started with a steady, uni-form resistance and without imthe ledge 9 while the rotating fan gathers v up the dust andlighter particles forcing them into the porous bag and preventing the occurrence of the dusty smell so observable when an ordinary carpet sweeper is used. Arrived at the forward end of each stroke the ratchet 43 holds the spring against unwinding, and thus provides a continuous turning movement during the retraction of the casing, as well as serving to operate the fan and brush for a very noticeable time in case it be desired to pick up dust or lint in some corner or under some piece of furniture where movement of the cleaner is impossible.

' From time to time the cleaner is raised from the floor by lifting the handle 65 whereupon the spring 69 operates to tilt the casing to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the refuse gathered on the ledges 99 will gravitate through the aperture 5 and into the dust bag. As a result of-this action the machine will pick up matches, coins, bullets, nails, cigar stubs, cigarettes, and other articles which few cleaners or carpet sweepers will accommodate, as well as removing such things as lint, dust, bran, ashes, flour and light refuse either from floors or from rugs.

While my improved brush regulating mechanism can be used ,upon any kind' of cleaner whatever, it is particularly valuable in connection with a traction-cleaner wherein the amount of power available for driving the brush is comparatively small, and especially in a cleaner wherein the brush and fan are connected together since overloading of the brush is in that event particularly disadvantageous to the fan action. Also while myimproved power-storing appliances are applicable to any type of suction sweeper the same are particularly desirable in a cleaner wherein a fan and brush are operatively connected together in view of the greater continuity of the power available fordriving the fan against the opposition of the brush. And while the tilting casing arrangement has particular utility in connection with a driven brush and a suction fan, there are features of utility possessed by the same regardless of the presence of either or both the brush or fan. Therefore, while I have described my invention in detail and pointed out at length the construction which now commends itself to me as the best and most satisfactory, it will be apparent that great changes can be made in the various Having thus described my invention, what 1."The combination with a dustpan and a rotatable brush located in o rative relation thereto, of carrying whee s, and means operatively connecting said wheelsand brush, whereby, the latter is rotated toward the pan as sa d pan is advanced, said means including energy storing devices whereby said brush will be operated for a time after the advancing movement of said dustpan has ceased.

2. The combination with a dustpan 'and' a rotatable brush located in operative relation thereto, of energy storing means of the flywheel type operatively' connected to said' brush, carrymg wheels journaled to said dustpan, and operative connections between said carrying wheels and energy storing meanswhereby upon the forward movement of said dustpa-n said brush will be rotated in a direction to'throw litter thereon, and upon a cessationof such forward movement saidconnections will be broken.

3. The combination with a dustpa-n and a rotatable brush located in operative relation thereto, of energy storing meansof the flywheel type operativel connected to said brush, carrying whee s journaled to said dustpan, a driving member-geared to saidenergy storing means, and a springconnected to said member and said wheels, said spring 'beingada-pted and arranged to be woun up with the forward movement of said dustpan and also to operate said driving member in a direction to turn said energy storing means in. a direction torotate said brush in a direction to throw litter upon said dustpan. j

4. The combination with a dustpan and a rotatable brush located in operative relation thereto, of energy storing means of the flywheel type operatively connected 'to said brush, carrying wheels journaled' to said dust pan, a spring motor connected to said. energy storing means and adapted to drive the same, and means connecting said wheels to said spring motor in a direction to wind the Same upon the forward movement of said dustpam 4 5'.- The combination with a floor-cleaning tool and a rotatable brush carried thereby, of carrying'wheels; therefor, and a spring motor carried by said tool and operatively connected-to said brush and adapted to be wound up by the intermittent forward movements of said tool,

6.: In a floor cleaning tool, a suction chaim' her having bearings at ends, a rotary brush pivoted to said bearingsland ihaving a pulley intermediate of its ends, a drivin pulley located above and to one side of said' brush and having its axis perpendicular to the plane of that of said brush, and a twisted elastic -belt connectjin said pulleys.

7. In a device of t e character; described, in combination, a collecting nozzle, a horizontal rotatable brush 'journaled therein, a pulley carried by said brush, a driving pulley located above and at one side of said brush with its axis perpendicular to the plane of that of the brush, and an endlessbelt connecting said pulleys and arranged so that in the vicinity of. said; brush its power runwill be lowermost.

8. In a device ofithe charaeterdescribed,

the combination with a casing having a fan chamber and a collecting nozzle,- a suction fan in saidchamber, a rotatable brush in said nozzle, means operatively connecting said fan and brush, carrylng wheels o urnaled to said casing, and gearing connecting said wheels and fan adapted to drive said fan upon the forward movement of said casing and to become disconnected from said fan upon the cessation of such forward movementbut leaving said fan operatively connected to said brush.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a casing having a fan fan in said chamber, a rotatable brush in said chamber and'a collecting nozzle, a suction nozzle, means operatively' connecting said} fan and brush, a-spring motor o'perativelyconnected to'said fan in 'drivingrelation,

carrying wheels journaled to said casing, and means connected to'said whee-ls adapted to wind said spring motor upon the forward 1 movement of said casing.

10. In adevice of the character described,

the combination with a casing having-a fan chamber and a collecting nozzle, a suction fan in said chamber, a rotatable brush in said .nozzle, means operatively connecting said fan and brush, a horizontal transverse shaft carried by the-casing, driving and carryingwheels on said shaft, the former being operatively connected to said fan and the latter adapted to rest on the floor and certain of said wheels being loose on the shaft, and a power sprin connecting the shaft and loose wheel an adapted to be wound up by thle forward movement of said carrying w eels. v

11; In a. suction cleaner, a fan chamber having an inlet opening in its upper wall a and a fan shaft projecting through its lower upper wall and enclosing said opening, said low the lower wall of said fan chamber, a

ley carried by said fan, and projecting -wall, a collecting nozzle overlapping said 125.. nozzle-having a mouth whose plane lies be- [rotatable brush in said nozzle, a driving pulconnected to said brush, andoperating mechanism disposedbeneath said lower wall and connected to s'aidshaft.

12. In a suction cleaner, a having an inlet opening in its upper wall, a. collecting nozzle overlapping said upper wall and enclosing said opening, said nozzle having a mouth Whose plane lies below the lower wall of said fan chamber, ;a rotatable fan chamber brush in said nozzleQ-a shaft projecting 10 through said opening and "connected to'said fan, a. pulley carried by said shaft inside said. nozzle and operatively connected tosaid brush; and means for rotating said fanand pulley.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature. a JAMES B. KIRBY. 

